New Data Shows UK Public Sector Burdened with 30.6 Million Hours of Extra Work Every Week

Rhea-AI Summary

Appian (APPN) and Coforge released the '2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey' revealing significant process inefficiencies in the UK public sector. The study shows that manual processes cost public sector workers an average of 5 hours per week in extra work, totaling 30.6 million hours weekly across the 6.12 million workforce.

Key findings show that 94% of workers face process inefficiencies, with main challenges including manual tasks, multiple legacy systems access, and lack of training. Additionally, 91% report difficulties in adapting processes to changing demands.

The survey highlights positive attitudes toward technology solutions, with 62% of respondents expressing confidence in AI's potential and 72% believing in automation benefits. This aligns with the UK government's 2% productivity improvement target and DSIT's estimate of £45 billion in potential annual savings through public sector digitization.

Positive

• Survey reveals strong market opportunity in UK public sector for APPN's solutions
• 95% of current automation tool users report benefits
• High confidence in AI adoption: 62% of surveyed workers support AI implementation
• Government's 2% productivity target creates immediate market demand

Negative

• None.

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LONDON, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Appian (Nasdaq: APPN), in partnership with Coforge (NSE: COFORGE), reveals that, on average, manual process inefficiency is costing public sector workers five hours per week in extra work or delays. Across the UK's 6.12 million public sector workforce, this adds up to 30.6 million hours of extra work every week.

Of the 1,000 UK public sector workers surveyed in the 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey, 94% say they face process inefficiencies in delivering citizen services. The top three reported obstacles to efficiency were:

• Manual and repetitive tasks
• A need to access multiple legacy systems to view or enter the same information
• A lack of training and support

Process change is also a common challenge: 91% of public sector workers say that their organization finds adapting its processes challenging (specifically when trying to maintain productivity amidst changing service demands, citizen needs and government policies).

AI and automation: The keys to efficiency

Despite process challenges, the public sector is optimistic about the opportunities AI and process automation offer:

• Confidence in AI. 62% of survey respondents have some or high confidence in AI's potential to improve their organization's efficiency. Those in back-office IT roles (71%) were most likely to report confidence in AI, followed by those in citizen-facing services (65%) and back-office business roles (57%).
• Confidence in automation. 72% of respondents believe that automating repetitive tasks would simplify their jobs and improve efficiency. And 95% of respondents that use workflow or process automation tools reported experiencing benefits.

"Every public service organization is built on processes. When those processes improve, so do the services delivered to citizens," said Peter Corpe, Industry Leader, UK Public Sector at Appian. "With millions of hours at stake, automating low-value admin tasks and resolving process inefficiencies offers the public sector a chance to work more efficiently. This means more time for the strategic and value-driven activities that directly impact citizen outcomes."

Coforge, an Appian partner for over 13 years with 350+ Appian practitioners on staff, has seen these outcomes first-hand. "Modern AI and automation technologies are transforming complex government processes into streamlined digital workflows," said Coforge Chief Customer Success Officer John Speight. "By partnering with Coforge, organizations are turning this potential into reality – reducing processing times from hours to minutes to achieve significant cost savings, and deliver smarter, faster, community-focused outcomes."

Pressure on the public sector to improve productivity

In its latest budget, the UK government has set all departments a 2% target to improve productivity, efficiencies and savings for next year. Using technology more effectively is one way to achieve this goal. According to a 2025 review by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) "Over £45 billion per year of unrealized savings and productivity benefits, 4–7% of public sector spend, could be achieved through … digitization of public sector services." The review goes on to say, "This makes digitization the most powerful lever available to drive public sector and service reform." It lists process simplification and AI-driven automation of manual tasks as two predominant opportunities to drive savings.

"The government is clear on its mission to automate processes in the public sector," says Corpe. "AI adoption in the public sector is no longer a question of if but when." And according to survey respondents, public sector workers are ready for change.

The solution to process inefficiency, Corpe says, is to make technology part of the process. "And no company is better equipped to deploy AI in enterprise processes than Appian. Appian is the leader in process orchestration, automation, and intelligence. By embedding AI in processes with unified, secure enterprise data, Appian is improving service delivery outcomes. And we've been at the forefront of better process outcomes in government for over 25 years."

Download the 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey for more findings from public servants.

About Appian

Appian is The Process Company. We deliver a software platform that helps organizations run better processes that reduce costs, improve customer experiences, and gain a strategic edge. Committed to client success, we serve many of the world's largest companies across industries. For more information, visit appian.com.

About Coforge

Coforge is a global digital services and solutions provider that leverages emerging technologies and deep domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its clients.  A focus on select industries, a deep domain understanding of the underlying processes of those industries and partnerships with leading technology platforms, enables Coforge to be a trusted partner of its clients in their transformation initiatives. Coforge leads with its Product Engineering approach and leverages AI, Cloud, Data, Integration and Automation technologies to transform businesses into intelligent, high growth enterprises. Coforge has 30 global delivery centers and is present in 23 countries. For more information, visit coforge.com.

 

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SOURCE Appian

FAQ

How many hours are lost weekly due to process inefficiencies in the UK public sector according to Appian's survey?

30.6 million hours are lost weekly due to manual process inefficiencies, averaging 5 hours per worker across the UK's 6.12 million public sector workforce.

What percentage of UK public sector workers report process inefficiencies in their work according to APPN's study?

94% of UK public sector workers report facing process inefficiencies in delivering citizen services.

What is the potential annual savings from digitization in the UK public sector according to DSIT?

According to DSIT, £45 billion per year in unrealized savings and productivity benefits could be achieved through public sector service digitization.

What percentage of UK public sector workers support automation according to Appian's 2025 survey?

72% of respondents believe automating repetitive tasks would simplify their jobs and improve efficiency.